Superman (Injustice)
Superman of the alternate universe is a twisted alternate version of the heroic main-universe Superman. He is the main antagonist in Injustice: Gods Among Us, and the secondary antagonist/protagonist villain in Injustice 2. Initially a tragic character, as time passes, the fallen Man of Steel steadily becomes more and more brutal and fascistic, eventually becoming little more than a psychotic and unforgiving warlord. History Prior to Injustice Born as Kal-El, Superman was born on the planet Krypton. However, soon after his birth, Krypton was in the process of being destroyed. His parents Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van, in their last act to save him, put their son in a spacepod to escape the dying planet. The last son of Krypton eventually landed safely on Earth, where he was discovered and adopted by the Kents, a Kansas farming couple. He was then given the name "Clark Kent." Over time, Clark began to discover his powers, eventually becoming Earth's most powerful hero. At some point, Superman met Lois Lane at the Daily Planet and eventually became a couple. Events of Injustice At some point, the Joker and Harley Quinn killed Superman's friend Jimmy Olsen and kidnapped Lois and her unborn child. After luring Superman to a nuclear sub, using fear gas he stole from Scarecrow, Joker made Superman believe that he was fighting Doomsday, when in reality he was actually fighting Lois, who he began carrying into space. As Batman and the rest of the Justice League cornered Joker, he revealed that he had stolen a nuclear bomb, hid it in Metropolis and rigged it to go off when Lois' heart stopped. As this was happening, Superman carried "Doomsday" into space just as the fear gas was wearing off and watched in horror as he both killed his wife and unborn child and destroyed Metropolis. Enraged and sorrow-ridden, Superman breaks into the interrogation room where the Joker was being interrogated by Batman on where he got the nuke, and confronts the clown prince of crime. Superman shoves the Dark Knight aside and demands to know why the Joker would do such a thing. The Joker taunts him as being more gullible target than Batman, along with Superman's reluctance to kill and the fact that he ended up destroying everything he loves in the end, and wondered if he could love again after this. Finally pushed beyond his patience as well as his sanity, Superman angrily kills the Joker as Batman watched in horror. However, the Joker's last words is a maniacal laughter, as he is satisfied that he finally broke the Man of Steel to a point of no return. Years later, Superman rules the world and thinks of bringing order to it in a necessary way with Batman opposing it. During Story Mode, this leads Batman to bring in different Justice Leaguers from another reality where the bomb never went off due to Green Arrow being dead in their current timeline as his DNA was needed to unlock a Kryptonite weapon to disable Superman. However, though Lex Luthor (who, in this universe, was a double agent working in secret for Batman) attempts to use the weapon after setting the Justice League Watchtower on self-destruct to distract Superman long enough, the plan fails because of Shazam. Superman grabs Lex, who mocks the supposed peace of the regime, and kills him. Superman gets an overload by hearing all the people complaining about Superman's last deed. He returns to his base and complains before the other Regime members how "ungrateful" the people is. Shazam doubts Superman's actions and gets brutally killed for doing so. The main-universe Batman realizes they need their Superman to stop this Superman, and succeeds after defeating the alternate-universe Batman who was in disbelief. After the main-universe Superman arrives and defeats Doomsday (who was controlled by the alternate-universe Superman with a collar), the alternate-universe Superman confronts him, where they exchange their different points of view. The alternate-universe Superman points out his plan to travel back to the main-universe to reunite with Lois, despite that as the main-universe Superman pointed out, Lois would be horrified just by seeing the man that he has become. After the main-universe Superman defeats him, the alternate Superman is locked up in a cell equipped with special lamps that emit red solar radiation to negate his powers, although the final scene implied that he still had some access to his powers. Events in Injustice 2 Superman remains in prison for several years for his crimes against humanity. However, a mechanical being known as Brainiac appears and threatens to destroy the Earth. Batman goes to Clark's cell and to learn what he knows. Clark then reveals that it was Brainiac who destroyed his homeworld of Krypton, shocking Bruce. He then asks how he can be defeated, Superman states that he cannot be defeated without his help. Not willing to let Superman go free, Bruce leaves, with Clark angrily shouting that they need him. Later on, an escaped Wonder Woman, with the aid of Cyborg and a reluctant Supergirl storm the cell in an effort to free Clark, but are resisted by Blue Beetle and Firestorm. Firestorm attempts to go nuclear in an attempt to stop them from freeing Superman, when Bruce suddenly arrives and frees Superman in order to work together in stopping Brainiac. When Clark states that he is never going back to his cell, Batman replies "We'll cross that bridge later". Forming a truce, Batman and Superman (Who has donned back his suit) work together with their bands of Insurgency and Regime members respectively in stopping Brainiac's attempt in collecting cities and destroying the Earth. He retreats to the Fortress of Solitude where he is confronted by a distressed Kara. Kara, who had just witnessed Wonder Woman almost killing Harley Quinn becomes disgusted in finding out why Earth fears the Shield of the House of El and horrified when Clark attempts to justify his actions by saying he took one life to save millions and that humans need to be saved from themselves, with Kara likening Superman more towards General Zod than to his father Jor-El. When Black Adam and Damian Wayne try and fail to restrain Supergirl, Clark steps in, further trying to reason Kara about his actions and justifications before imprisonment, but when Kara mentions the meaning of the House of El, Clark retorts "Hope isn't enough to save the world!". Clark then battles Supergirl and is beaten, but before Kara flies off, he tells her that after Brainiac is dealt with, "You're either with me or against me". Superman and Supergirl later arrive in Metropolis, which is on the verge of destruction in Brainiac's hands. The Kryptonians attempt to break into Brainiac's ship, with help provided by the Batwing piloted by Bruce, but the three find it difficult due to Brainiac's shield protecting it from damage and due to the shields generating what Bruce states as a "concussive feedback loop", where the shields recoil an inflicted attack towards anyone who tries to attack Brainiac's ship. Despite their efforts, however, Brainiac succeeds in destroying Metropolis and Kara has been knocked out cold. Infuriated, Superman attacks the ship and with advice from Batman, manages to disrupt the shield systems by attacking and moving faster than the shields could activate, but Brainiac shifts the shield's interval to ten picoseconds, putting Clark and Bruce at a disadvantage, forcing Superman to the ground. Brainiac then fires an energy beam from the ship and onto the ground, knocking Batman (Who is still on the Batwing) and Supergirl (Who is still unconscious) off course and seemingly killing Superman. When Batman is held captive in Brainiac's ship and about to executed by some of Brainiac's beta, Clark appears suddenly and defeats them. The two join forces again and attempt to find Kara (Who has been imprisoned) and Brainiac. They are ambushed by a brainwashed Firestorm and Swamp Thing, whom they defeat and released from Brainiac's influence. The two later encounter Kent Nelson (Doctor Fate) who demands that Brainiac will bring justice and calls out Clark and Bruce for the chaos and destruction they caused on Earth during Superman's reign. The two defeat Kent and Superman crushes the Helm of Fate to release Kent from the Lords of Orders' influence, but the victory is short-lived when Kent is suddenly stabbed and killed by Brainiac and later absorbed. Superman and Batman fight Brainiac, who tells them that the Earth's population is in irreversible decline and that there is no hope for civilization. Superman defeats and knocks out Brainiac and then attempts to take control of the ship in an effort to restore the cities Brainiac had stole. Sometime later, Brainiac regains consciousness, but it held by by a released Supergirl who knocks him back with her heat vision. Brainiac is then approached by and beaten by Batman. Superman does ultimately succeed in restoring some of the lost cities but laments that he was unable to save Metropolis and Coast City. Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Black Adam and Aquaman show up sometime during which Clark lies on the floor in exhaustion. He laments to Hal Jordan for not being able to save his family and loved ones from Brainiac. Focusing his anger on Brainiac, Superman regains his footing and begins to approach Brainiac, but is stopped by Batman, who attacks with a knife laced with Golden Kryptonite, courtesy of Firestorm. Once again, the two are in conflict as Superman wants to kill Brainiac and justifies this by saying that he could take control of Brainiac's ship and restore the lost cities. Batman objects, saying that Brainiac must be kept alive and to find another way to restore the lost cities, with Batman also saying that Superman taking control of Brainiac's ship could be too risky. Superman is supported by Wonder Woman, Black Adam and Aquaman who state that Brainiac is too dangerous to be kept alive. Batman is aided by Supergirl, The Flash and Green Lantern and both sides ultimately start fighting over Brainiac's fate. Superman challenges Green Lantern and the Flash respectively, defeating both before giving chase to Kara. Kara leads Superman and Wonder Woman to the Batcave where Batman anticipates them with an exo-suit designed to combat Clark. As Batman confronts Wonder Woman, Kara attempts to reason with Clark, telling him that this is not what Jor-El wanted and that he would be horrified to see what a monster his son has become, but Clark refuses, even stating that "If Jor-El had been more like '''Zod', he might have saved Krypton''" before defeating Supergirl in a fight. Batman then approaches Superman after defeating Wonder Woman. Clark admits saying that fighting against Brainiac felt like old times, but states that it had to end this way. Bruce then reminds Clark of the moment his old friend found out Lois Lane was pregnant, the two of which fondly admitting that it was a good memory, with Bruce saying "I miss the people we were then" to which Clark agrees. Suddenly, Clark attacks Bruce, telling him that he cannot win, with Batman defiantly stating to his old friend "You of all people know, Clark... I never quit!", before the two engaged in one last battle. Absolute Justice Despite his efforts, Clark is beaten into submission by Bruce. He attempts to recovers, but falls back, unconscious. As Batman approaches the fallen Man of Steel, Supergirl arrives asking about Superman, to which Batman replies that "He'll be out for a while", whilst also apologizing towards Kara for not being able to save Clark. Clark is then held in the Fortress of Solitude, handcuffed with a Green Kryptonite to cancel out his powers and then exposed to Gold Kryptonite, removing his powers permanently. Bruce then activates a portal to the Phantom Zone. Clark starts to walk towards the portal when he is stopped by Kara who states that he is family and that she hopes he'll see that. Clark states that he will escape one day to which Bruce reassures that he'll be ready when he does. Taking one last glance at Kara and Bruce, Clark then enters the Phantom Zone, the portal closing immediately after. Absolute Power Superman pummels Batman until he is unable to fight on. Clark then grabs Bruce by the throat, with the latter urging his former to "Show me what a villain looks like!" to see if Clark could kill Bruce. Superman thinks for a moment, but instead headbutts Batman, knocking him unconscious. Wonder Woman arrives at Superman's side and asks why didn't he kill him, to which Clark replies that he'd be seen as a martyr, but states that this time, everyone will follow him. Sometime later, Clark (Now donned in an outfit resembling Brainiac's) approaches Kara, who is now held in the same red sun cell where he was held years ago. Superman declares that Brainiac is dead when Kara questions if he bonded with Brainiac's ship. Superman announces that he has freed the remaining cities and that he is intending to build an army that could potentially rival the combined Lantern Corps, with Supergirl leading them. Kara refuses, but Clark states that "You'll either make the right choice, or I'll make it for you". Kara is horrified when Batman shows up, clearly roboticized and under Superman's control. He then demands "What's it going to be?", arms crossed. Depiction in the Comics Year One Before the events of the game, Superman is overjoyed when he hears two heartbeats coming from Lois Lane, indicating that she is pregnant. After informing longtime ally, Batman of the good news, he discovers that his friend Jimmy Olson was killed while with Lois, who was kidnapped. Distressed that he cannot locate her, Superman goes to Batman who had been investigating the theft of Kryptonite from S.T.A.R. Labs; Batman promptly informs the rest of the League. When Batman finds out it was the Joker who kidnapped Lois and hijacked a submarine along with Harley Quinn, Superman rushes out to open waters, finds the sub, and enters it, only to be confronted by none other than Doomsday. But unknown to him, as he lifts Doomsday into orbit, the other Leaguer's are informed by the Joker that he laced Kryptonite into some fear toxin he stole from the Scarecrow, and it was revealed that it was not Doomsday that Superman was lifting into orbit. It was Lois who had a heart monitor attached to her by the Joker that would detonate a nuke inside Metropolis when her heart stops beating, which it does as Superman watches in horror, as the gas wears off and sees who he really took into orbit. Year Two To be Added Year Three To be Added Year Four To be Added Year Five To be Added Ground Zero To be Added Injustice 2 (comic) To be Added Convergence The alternate Injustice version of Superman makes his only appearance (he has still appeared in the Injustice comics set before the events of the game since) early on in DC's Convergence ''event, during which the Gotham City of the Injustice universe was transported to Telos by Brainiac, and out of petty stubbornness due to the fact that they and so many of his allies had turned against him, Superman refused to help the people of his city escape Telos's wrath, feeling that they deserved their deaths. Superman watched as the city and all of its inhabitants were obliterated by Telos using giant hands and a volcanic eruption, but Superman could not evade the destruction as one of Telos's great hands grabbed Superman, crushing him, before plunging him into the molten ground to his well-deserved death. Classic Battle Injustice Superman is also considered the final boss for the Classic Battles ladder, where he is sucked into and imprisoned in the Phantom Zone when the player defeats him. Injustice 2 He is a playable character. His ending is as scary as the Absolute Power ending; Superman fuses with Brainiac's system and creates a league of "Superheroes", but with his broken nature it can be assumed that he will enforce an even more oppressive system. Powers and Abilities Superman has the following abilities which he receives from the solar radiation his body has absorbed when exposed to a yellow sun: *Superhuman Strength: has strength easily in the multi 1,000,000 tons class, lifted up a 100 ton phantom zone projector with ease, ripped out a submarine tank out off the water without trouble, shattered green lanterns strongest shield with one punch. Upper reaches of his strength has yet to be determined, as strength varies on sunlight. *Superhuman Speed: While not as fast as the Flash, Superman is faster than sound, light and even thought. Has routinely outmatched humans in speed with little effort. Has routinely reached the upper atmosphere within seconds. Upper reaches of speed is yet to be determined. *Superhuman Stamina: when empowered by the sun he has near limitless stamina, and can endure fights with many other high-level fighters for long periods of time *Flight: as a kryptonian he can easily manipulate gravitons around him to fly. Easily clocks around Mach-1 flight speed with considerable ease, often moves at speeds faster than the human (or sometimes alien) eye can process. Reached the upper stratosphere in several seconds. *Superhuman Hearing: Can hear at far greater levels fumans (or sometimes fellow super humans) can use. His hearing can vary, yet despite this great usage he is vulnerable to ultra-sonic blasts. Also his hearing is limited to the sound of what processes, thus considering the speed at which he hears. He doesn’t always get the information he gets at times (like when he failed to get the memo about Doomsday not being Lois Lane beforehand). *Super Vision: Electromangetic Spectrum Vision, Thermal Vision, X-Ray, Telescopix Vision, Microscopic Vision and Heat Vision *Ice Breath *Invulnerability *Accelerated Healing: As body absorbs solar rays, he can heal many times the speed of a human. One quick dose of the sun rays, can heal his injuries at a phenomenal rate. Being able to hea injuries that would take humans months, only last several hours for him. Yet despite this giving complete immunity to all viruses and diseases, he can still be poisened by things of great toxin. Also while this gives him great healing, he cannot however heal ripped limbs and organs. Personality Lois Lane's death shook Superman greatly; the once pure Man of Steel was heartbroken, having been manipulated by the Joker into killing the woman he loved and his unborn child. His loss, grief and pain overwhelmed Superman, causing him to forget his hard-taught wholesome values and ethics, turning him corrupt and cruel. From that day forward, Superman decided that criminals would be better off dead, as demonstrated by having brutally killed Joker in a blind rage, which was the first action that led him down the path into a cynical, brutal, hate-filled tyrant. It is heavily implied that the reason why he discarded his wholesome values and ethics is because he blamed them for his unwitting role in the destruction of Metropolis as well as the murder of Lois Lane and their unborn child, viewing them as weaknesses that ultimately hampered his ability to protect the people of Earth. The disillusioned Superman's morality became even more warped, where he thought his actions were benefiting the world; in reality, he placed humanity into totalitarian dystopia, controlled by a strong military regime rather than freedom or equal rights and when he discovered the people of Gotham and Metropolis actually feared and hated him rather than worshiped him, he destroyed them without remorse. However, despite his faults, he still shows a great deal of love towards his former wife, Lois Lane and planned to kill the main universe Superman and bring Lois to his dimension which proves that in spite of his ruthlessness, he was furthermost a damaged, guilt-ridden man. He does feel remorseful about his misdeeds, but has not recanted any of his thoughts, as it can be seen in ''Injustice 2. Victims * Lois Lane (Unknowingly) * The Joker * Kalibak * J'onn J'onzz / Martian Manhunter * Oliver Queen / Green Arrow * Ganthet * Mogo * Hercules * Rudy Jones / Parasite * Jason Bard * Kator Hall / Hawkman * Kate Kane / Batwoman * Billy Batson / Shazam * Lex Luthor * 249 members of the Joker Underground * Numerous members of the Green Lantern Corps * Numerous unnamed people Indirectly * Jesse Chambers / Jesse Quick * Garfield Logan / Beast Boy * Wally West / Kid Flash * Alfred Pennyworth * Kent Nelson / Doctor Fate * 10 million Metropolis civilians Trivia *In the DC Universe animated original movie Superman vs. The Elite, Superman disapproved of the Elite's harsh and brutal methods, including killing criminals and threatening the general public. In Injustice, he acts upon all of the same methods. George Newbern voices Superman in both that movie and in this game. *Surprisingly, George Newbern (Who voices Superman in the Injustice Series and in several animated features featuring Superman) has voiced Sephiroth (The main antagonist of Final Fantasy VII), who himself is a fallen hero and of alien origin. However, while Superman was an alien born on another planet, Sephiroth was a human given alien powers via experimentation. *Superman is the only character whose Battles ladder portrait is his main-universe version. In the fight against him, he is also restricted to this costume. *Superman is the only character with two sets of intros and outros, one for the main-universe Superman (Where he rips off his suit and take off his glasses when the fight begins and fly off into space to answer a call for help after he wins the fight) and one for the regime Superman (Where he flies in to assist a squad of Regime troopers when the fight begins and orders his opponent to bow before him after the opponent is defeated). There exists a third intro for DLC Superman costumes, where Superman simply flies away from the Fortress of Solitude and into battle, DLC Superman use the same outro as main-universe Superman (or in the case of Cyborg Superman, the Injustice-universe Superman). *Although Superman is the boss of the Story Mode and the Classic Battles ladder, the only advantage he has over other fighters is a far stronger defense and attack in the first lifebar, aside from this, in the second lifebar he is completely normal, not even having a smarter A.I. *Some elements of the Injustice Superman were found in a dream sequence in Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice. *The Injustice version of Superman shares many similarities with other evil alternate versions of Superman. **William Dunn: Both misuse their powers and become global dictators (although, while Injustice Superman had good intentions before becoming corrupt, William Dunn was simply power hungry). **Superman (Brave New Metropolis): Both became evil dictators after Lois Lane was killed by their enemies (The Joker for Injustice Superman, Intergang for Brave New Metropolis Superman) and both also teamed up with their enemies in order to reach their goals (villains such as Bane and Sinestro for Injustice Superman, Lex Luthor and Mercy Graves for Brave New Metropolis Superman). **Superman (Justice Lord): Much like Brave New Metropolis Superman, both became dictators after someone close to them was killed by their enemies, whom they then killed in revenge (Lois Lane and The Joker for Injustice Superman, The Flash and Lex Luthor for Justice Lord Superman) and both turned their teammates to their side. ***Coincidentally, Superman, Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl became violent oppressors in both the Injustice and Justice Lords universes. **Ultraman: Both are global dictators who repress others and rule by fear. 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